Many different techniques, over the course of time have been used to teach or understand the mechanics of various repeatable human motions, including sports motion. Many trainers use a video analysis system to teach a subject how to perform basic motion, especially with club, bat and racket sports. The trainer records and replays the recorded video information to illustrate the subject's performance while providing feedback.
Feedback often takes the form of verbal remarks or drawings made by the instructor relative to problems of posture or technique followed by suggestions on correcting the problems. Visualizing one's personal performance has been recognized as a valuable tool in identifying problems and correcting problems in order to improve motion techniques. Although video analysis systems are widely used, these systems have the obvious limitation that a knowledgeable trainer is required to analyze the video information. This kind of analysis is often subjective or inaccurate and may be expensive.
Often, these video analysis systems are capable of comparing the subject's recorded motion with a similar motion performed by a qualified professional that is superimposed over the same recording. U.S. Pat. No. 6,514,081 Mengoli allows the subject to analyze differences between his or her motion and the master's motion with emphasis on synchronization of motion.
Several video analysis systems teach methods where analysis is strictly related to synchronization of multiple information signals. This can severely restrict the kinds of motion activities available to the subject and the apparatus for analysis.
The relative slowness of the thinking speed of the subject compared to the muscle memory speed of the master makes it unclear how the techniques of one human are optimal for another given different bodies, especially different brains and muscles. It has been estimated that as many as 100 different muscles are required to be coordinated during the performance of some sports activities.
The extent to which the body parts and posture and consequently the motion performance of the subject and any chosen professional could or should match to represent a relevant and excellent or fitting performance model for the subject are sometimes questionable. Prior art includes systems that place inertial sensors on the body of the subject, reflecting tapes on the subject's body and if applicable on his bat, racquet or club. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,554 Bentley teaches a system and method that instruments the subject with inertial sensors attached to a vest and glove. When the subject is outfitted beyond the minimum requirements to perform the motion, the expense, possibly the skewed nature of the performance and other limitations are brought into question.
In the field of identification of biometric motion, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,844,081 McMakin employs imaging systems and methods to generate a motion signature. The analysis is shown to be inaccurate due to clothing. The use of techniques that get around clothing can be invasive.
All of the commercially available systems lack the total set of features necessary to significantly impact the field of biomechanics for analysis, teaching and identification. All methods taught in prior art suffer from one or more disadvantages. Some are impractical in their use. Some are sufficiently clumsy or cumbersome to skew the results. Some require unnatural settings. Many are imprecise in their measurements or imprecise or ineffective in their presentations. Some focus on one or more masters that may not be the best models. Some are too restrictive by requiring synchronizations of multiple information sources. All seem to lack the ability to be adjusted properly to match the subject.
What is lacking in the field is a simple, accurate and affordable motion analysis system which is capable of precisely demonstrating effective solutions for a variety of motion problems.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.